Hou Wendong was carried onto the ambulance, and when he was being carried onto the ambulance, he was still trying hard to keep his eyes open, unwilling to close them.
He was afraid that if he closed his eyes, when he opened them again, he would find himself waking up not on a hospital bed, but in a morgue’s cold storage drawer.
It wasn’t until Ma Bin got on the ambulance, accompanying him by his side, that Hou Wendong weakly glanced at him. With his last ounce of strength, he forced a grateful smile before slipping into unconsciousness.
What Hou Wendong had no idea was that when he was transported to the warehouse during that unconscious episode, the person accompanying him was just like now.
Life is like a play, Destiny plays us, ha—
After the ambulance drove away and Wang Nan’s body was carried off on a stretcher, Li Shang and Chang Erbing finally stubbed out their cigarettes. Their faces showed a trace of fatigue as they got back into the blue and white car.
The car windows were tightly closed.
Chang Erbing took a deep breath, lowering his voice to ask,
"Captain Li, why do we have to act according to Ma Bin’s script? In my opinion, if we listened to Secretary Du and just dealt with Hou Wendong directly, wouldn’t it be simpler and more straightforward?"
Li Shang replied coldly, "What, do you think that by doing this we’re letting Secretary Du down?"
Chang Erbing hurriedly shook his head, "I just don’t quite understand."
Li Shang fell into thought; he originally had the sa idea as Chang Erbing, but Ma Bin easily persuaded him otherwise.
Thinking back, it’s quite ironic, because the reasons Ma Bin used to persuade him were surprisingly similar to what Secretary Du said when bidding farewell to Hou Wendong.
Li Shang adjusted his sitting posture, reorganized his words, and slowly said,
"Precisely because Secretary Du has helped us, I believe Secretary Du wouldn’t mind helping us once more."
Li Shang paused for a mont and added,
"As for why in the end we sided with Secretary Hou, the reason is simple. On one hand, the favor of support can’t compare to a life-saving grace;
on the other hand, Secretary Hou’s ’rank’ is higher than Secretary Du’s; we’re not siding with Secretary Hou, we’re simply siding with the bigger side;
And most importantly, Secretary Du has already given part of his compensation in advance, whereas Secretary Hou hasn’t offered anything yet. Besides, he’s willing to pay double."
Chang Erbing blinked a little, his mouth twitching a few tis, and stuttered, "Captain Li, you make a good point. I just..."
Li Shang actually knew that Chang Erbing felt sowhat averse to Ma Bin, unhappy that in this play, Ma Bin received the greatest gratitude from Hou Wendong.
Even if what Hou Wendong said was true, and he appreciated that he and Chang Erbing saved him twice, the weight of those two tis combined still couldn’t compare to Ma Bin’s single life-saving act.
If possible, Li Shang certainly would have preferred to replace Ma Bin’s role in this play.
Unfortunately, the entire play was designed by Ma Bin, the scapegoats chosen by him as well; Ma Bin was the director of the entire play, and there wasn’t much Li Shang could do.
Li Shang coughed and said to Chang Erbing with deep aning,
"Erbing, I understand what’s on your mind, but let remind you that the three of us are now in the sa boat. Ma Bin contributed the most this ti, so it’s only fair he gets a bigger share of the benefits; don’t fuss too much.
Moreover, in the future, Ma Bin could very well beco the person Secretary Hou trusts the most, and that’s a good thing for us. So, any words that might harm Unity, you can complain to but never reveal them to Ma Bin, understand?"
Chang Erbing nodded with a bad-looking expression, forcing a smile to respond,
"Rest assured, Captain Li, I understand. I’m just worried that Ma Bin, with his sharp mind, will use this to climb up to Secretary Hou, and in the future, Captain Li, your words might not hold as much sway as they used to."
Li Shang gave a pretend smile and didn’t look at Chang Erbing again but turned his head to look at the night outside the window, saying softly,
"No, you worry too much. Ma Bin is a man of loyalty. After this incident, trust between us should grow. Hmm... right, have you noticed anything happening recently in the number two prison I asked you to keep an eye on?"
Chang Erbing thought for a mont and replied, "Oh, right, I almost forgot to tell Captain Li, last night, in the middle of the night, the Patrol Office received a report; the deceased was the sister of the Prison Chief from No. 2 Prison, and she was found dead at ho."
Li Shang looked at Chang Erbing, waiting for him to continue.
Indeed, Chang Erbing continued to add, "Additionally, the Prison Chief has also gone missing, neither alive nor dead, no trace of the body."
Li Shang made an "oh" sound, "Anything else?"
Chang Erbing replied, "Also, among the few prisoners we helped transfer with Ma Bin, one nad Chen Ya was also found dead."
Li Shang was slightly taken aback and asked, "How did he die?"
Chang Erbing answered, "He, along with fellow inmates, attacked a prison guard nad Feng Mu, and they were all counter-killed!"
Li Shang frowned a bit; the na "Feng Mu" seed sowhat familiar, as if he’d seen or heard it sowhere, but he couldn’t quite recall; perhaps he was mistaken.
Li Shang pondered for a mont, then softly muttered, as if speaking to Chang Erbing or contemplating to himself,
"If he died due to attacking a prison guard, then it shouldn’t be this person. So, what about the other prisoners?"
Chang Erbing also appeared thoughtful, saying, "The remaining transferred ones are still alive; I’ve inquired, they appear to behave properly without causing any trouble."
Chang Erbing actually didn’t know much because the prison system is a closed environnt. Events inside the prison, unless reported, are difficult for the Patrol Office to investigate independently.
Moreover, the Patrol Office won’t go looking for trouble without reason, not to ntion that it’s difficult to obtain permission to intervene in prison matters.
Incidents that occur behind the high prison walls are generally handled internally, preferring self-correction and internal resolution rather than using external "public resources."
There truly exists a tangible barrier of information.
Both Chang Erbing and Li Shang had limited knowledge, making it hard for them to connect the Prison Chief’s death, Chen Ya’s "death," and a prison guard nad Feng Mu altogether.
At least at this mont, they still lack the crucial adhesive.
Even if they were able to piece together all the fragnted information, it’s highly unlikely to have any connection to Ma Bin.
These scattered clues are like puzzle pieces strewn about, with no telling which are key and which are trivial.
Unless Li Shang is a detective, piecing them together into a coherent shape would be quite challenging.
So, is Li Shang a detective?
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